The Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC) invites nominations for Seat 9 on the ICANN Board of Directors.
The person selected by the ASO AC will be nominated for designation by the ICANN Empowered Community and will serve a three-year term beginning at the conclusion of the ICANN Annual Meeting in 2027, expected to take place in November 2027.
Role of an ICANN Board Director
ICANN Board Directors serve in their individual capacity and have a duty to act in what they reasonably believe to be the best interests of ICANN. Directors do not serve as representatives of the ASO, the Regional Internet Registries, their employers, or any other organization or constituency.
Candidates should understand the responsibilities and time commitment associated with serving on the ICANN Board before accepting a nomination.
Eligibility requirements
Candidates must satisfy the criteria and requirements established in Sections 7.3 through 7.6 of the ICANN Bylaws. These include:
- Integrity, objectivity, sound judgment, and the ability to contribute effectively to collective decision-making;
- An understanding of ICANN’s Mission and the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community;
- Relevant knowledge and experience contributing to the overall skills, experience, and diversity of the ICANN Board;
- The ability to work and communicate in written and spoken English;
- Compliance with the additional qualification requirements in Section 7.4 of the ICANN Bylaws; and
- Compliance with ICANN’s conflict-of-interest requirements.
Each nominee must sign a Certification Letter confirming compliance with ICANN’s eligibility, conduct, and character requirements. The questionnaire will also request the nominee’s consent to the due diligence review independently managed by ICANN.
A nomination does not by itself make an individual an eligible candidate. The ASO AC Qualification Review Committee will review the information submitted by each nominee and determine whether the nominee satisfies the applicable requirements.
Geographic restriction
Section 7.2(c) of the ICANN Bylaws provides that no two Directors nominated by the same Supporting Organization may be citizens of the same country or of countries located in the same ICANN Geographic Region.
The ASO-appointed Director serving in Seat 10, Christian Kaufmann, is from the Europe Geographic Region. Consequently, the ASO AC cannot consider for Seat 9 a candidate whose country used for nomination purposes is located in the Europe Geographic Region.
If a nominee has citizenship in more than one country, or has been domiciled for more than five years in a country of which they are not a citizen, Section 7.2(c) allows the nominee to identify the eligible country of citizenship or domicile to be used for nomination purposes. A person may identify only one domicile.
Nomination process
Anyone may nominate any person, including themselves.
Nominations must be submitted by email to board-nominations [at] aso [dot] icann [dot] org no later than:
Tuesday, 15 December 2026 at 23:59 UTC
Each nomination must include:
- Full name of the nominee;
- Nominee’s email address;
- Nominee’s telephone number, if available;
- Nominee’s country of citizenship or eligible domicile for nomination purposes;
- Full name of the person submitting the nomination;
- Nominator’s email address; and
- Nominator’s telephone number, if available.
The ASO Secretariat will contact each nominee directly and provide the Certification Letter, and submission instructions.
To remain under consideration, nominees must accept their nomination and return the completed Certification Letter by the close of the nomination phase. Those submitting nominations are therefore strongly encouraged to do so well before the deadline.
The ASO AC will publish information about nominees who complete the required documentation and are determined to be qualified candidates.
If fewer than two qualified candidates remain under consideration for the open seat, the nomination period will be extended in accordance with the ASO AC selection procedures.
Selection timeline
The proposed schedule is:
- Nomination phase: 15 September –1 5 December 2026
- Public comment phase: 16 December 2026 – 14 March 2027
- Interview phase: 15 January – 14 March 2027
- Selection deliberation: 15 March – 29 April 2027
- Selection voting: 30 April – 7 May 2027
- Expected public announcement: Around 15 May 2027
The public comment phase will remain open throughout the interview phase. Qualified candidates may be required to participate in written and videoconference interviews.
The ASO AC will announce the selected candidate only after the applicable due diligence review has been completed without significant concerns. The dates above may therefore be adjusted if required by the selection or due diligence process. Any changes will be published on the ASO website.
Further information
Additional information, candidate announcements, opportunities to submit public comments, and updates about the selection process will be published on the dedicated 2027 ICANN Board Seat 9 selection page on the ASO website.
The selection will be conducted in accordance with Section 9.4 of the ASO AC ICANN Board Selection Procedures.
Relevant documents include:
Questions about the nomination or selection process may be sent to secretariat [at] nro [dot] net.
Last modified on 14/09/2026